Chapter 54: My Brother Has Changed |
Just as I was sinking into a sweet sleep, I felt someone shaking my body. I let out a groan and opened my eyes to see An Sol’s clear gaze looking down at me. The dim, pre-dawn scenery of the Obsidian Forest came into view. Being in the middle of the woods, a cold chill crept over my entire body. I circulated my mana for a moment to awaken my senses, then pushed my stiff body up. My head felt so clear it was refreshing, and I was in a good mood.
“Anything unusual?”
“No. Nothing. Did you sleep well, Brother?”
An Sol called me ‘Oppa’ when we were in a group, but strangely, whenever we were alone, she always called me ‘Orabeoni’ (Brother). It was a little embarrassing, but not so cringeworthy that I found it unbearable, so I hadn’t said anything about it. Seeing her bow her head and greet me politely, I thought that whoever her parents were, they had certainly raised her well.
After responding to her greeting with a gentle smile, I turned to wake Hyeon and Yu-jeong, but I felt a tug on my collar. I turned my head back to see Sol fidgeting, her lips trembling. It seemed she had something she wanted to say to me. I spoke in the kindest voice I could muster.
“Yes, Sol. Is there something you want to say?”
“Brother… I…”
At my question, Sol continued to avoid my gaze, staring at the ground. But soon, she bit her lip and lifted her head with a look of grim determination. I had no idea what she was about to say, but I tensed up inside, waiting for her next words.
“…I… have to pee.”
“I’m too scared to go alone… I want to go with you.”
“…Go on your own.”
I shook my head, feeling a sense of futility. But this time, Sol didn’t back down. Despite my firm (?) refusal, she kept biting her lip, her hand still clutching my clothes. Just as I was about to scold her for acting so childish, I saw her eyes trembling.
In the end, I decided to back down this one time. But looking at An Sol, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of doubt. It had been over three months since she entered Hall Plain, which meant she was a twenty-year-old adult. Of course, she looked much younger due to her baby face, but she had a mental age too, yet sometimes she acted just like a little kid.
It wasn’t just me who found her occasional behavior strange. One might not notice at a glance, but having spent some time with her, both Yu-jeong and I could clearly feel that something was off. Yu-jeong had once asked An Hyeon about it directly, but he had vaguely deflected the question. It seemed there was something he wanted to hide about Sol. I made a mental note to ask him again when I got the chance, then walked away from the campsite with Sol.
“This should be far enough.”
“……”
“Sol?”
“Brother… you won’t leave me and go somewhere else, will you?”
“I’ll stay right here. Don’t worry, just go do your business.”
“I’ll trust you. I really will. You promised.”
After getting my reassurance two or three times, Sol finally let go of my clothes with an anxious look on her face. As she crept deeper into the woods, I pulled a cigarette from my pocket and placed it between my lips. I lit it and took a drag, hearing the rustling sound of her taking off her clothes from the bushes. Soon after, the trickling sound of her urinating reached my ears, and I felt a wave of awkwardness. Did she feel no shame in front of a man? Or did she not even see me as a man? Either way, it wasn’t a pleasant thought, so I just kept puffing on the innocent cigarette.
By the time the cigarette had nearly burned down, the sound of urination gradually subsided. Then came the soft sound of footsteps on the grass. When Sol saw me waiting patiently, her face brightened so visibly that I felt a sense of relief.
“Thank you.”
“Honestly. You’re always so childish. You can’t keep acting like this.”
“Hehe. I’m sorry.”
I gave her a light scolding, but she was grinning so happily that I couldn’t stay mad. Just as I was about to turn away, Sol threw herself into my arms. The sudden embrace made me drop the cigarette I was holding. Why was she suddenly being so forward? Finding my flustered expression amusing, Sol rubbed her face against my chest with a gentle smile.
“Brother.”
“Yes, yes?”
“To be honest… you were a little scary yesterday.”
“…I see.”
So that was it. I guess plunging my sword into that woman’s neck because I found her annoying had seemed cruel. Still, Sol’s face and body weren’t trembling in my arms, so I quietly waited for her to continue. After savoring my embrace for a moment, Sol spoke again in a cautious voice.
“But… you’re always strong and kind, Brother. If it weren’t for you, I probably…”
Unable to finish her sentence, she trailed off and closed her eyes. I sighed inwardly. But it was also true that holding her now felt strangely surreal.
The female user currently in my arms was the one who would later awaken as the famous Brilliance Priest. Her renown was so great that rumors spread of the Odin Clan—a gathering of the continent’s top users—scouting her personally.
I had been quite active in my own way, but in terms of fame or innate ability, I was no match for her. That’s how far above me An Sol had been back then. The fact that she was now in my arms, relying on me, filled my entire being with a peculiar feeling.
Carried away by that feeling, I found myself wrapping both my arms around her. Sol gasped in surprise at my action, but her expression soon softened into warmth. With my left hand on her back and my right stroking her ebony hair, I whispered softly.
“Should I have spared that female vagrant yesterday…? Is that why you’re scared of me…?”
Sol shook her head vigorously in response. Her movement tickled my chest, but it was the reaction I wanted, so I smiled faintly. Her initial anxiety had vanished, replaced by a gentle, smiling face as she spoke, clearly enjoying my touch.
“N-No… I won’t be scared. Hyeon Oppa said it. He said if we want to survive, we have to be like you, Su-hyeon Hyeong… that we all need to get our acts together. He said we would have all died if it weren’t for you… and that we should stick right by your side and do whatever you say… so I’m going to trust you too, Brother. So please… don’t abandon me.”
Is that so? An Hyeon said something so commendable? This meant I had now firmly established myself in their hearts. If their attitude until now had been one of blind dependence, entering the Obsidian Forest had transformed it into unwavering faith.
“I won’t abandon you. And Hyeon was wrong about one thing. I don’t want you to just do as you’re told, but for all of us to think together and work hard. This kind of childishness…”
“I know. I know. But… I just want to be like this for a little while.”
I felt the urge to hold her a little longer, but I wasn’t so weak as to be unable to control myself. I gently tried to ease her out of my embrace, but Sol, ignoring my touch, buried her face in my chest again and nodded vigorously.
“I’ll work hard too. I’ll work so hard that you’ll be satisfied, Brother… so… so…”
“So?”
“Can we stay like this just a little longer?”
“……”
“And stroke my hair. Quickly.”
Taking my silence as consent, Sol snuggled against me again, pressing me. Looking at her, I shrugged once and obediently raised my hand. At the very least, it felt like today marked a distinct shift in Sol’s perception of me.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“How’s your body?”
“It feels light. I checked when I woke up today, and my Endurance stat went up by 1. My recovery rate is so amazing, I can hardly believe it’s my own body. I feel more flexible than before, too.”
“Hehe. Since you’re a close-combat type, you need to pay attention to your Endurance. Otherwise, you’ll be made of glass.”
“Hahaha.”
An Hyeon let out a series of cheerful laughs, clearly pleased with his stat increase. I could see Yu-jeong pouting beside him, but she seemed happy for him nonetheless. And watching Hyeon, I felt a little envious myself. I want to raise my Stamina too…
Sustaining an injury that far exceeds one’s stat limits can potentially lower Endurance. However, if the injury is only slightly over the limit, or just below it, one can raise their Endurance, provided the healing is perfect. Just as a cleanly broken bone grows back stronger, the body adapts to a certain level of damage.
Leaving An Hyeon to show off his well-being by twirling his spear, I packed up our camp. After a simple meal for breakfast, we set off again towards the alchemist’s dungeon.
I was certain that the tracks we saw at the entrance of the Obsidian Forest did not belong to vagrants. I was currently following their trail. The tracks were still visible and continuous, suggesting they had gone quite deep.
The middle and deeper parts of the Obsidian Forest were places that even moderately skilled users couldn’t take lightly. The fact that they pushed themselves to go deeper suggested a high probability that there was something there. I was guessing that ‘something’ was the Dungeon of the Ancient Alchemist Vivian.
“I have a feeling we’re going to run into another huge swarm of something spooky today.”
An Hyeon, who had been keeping watch on our right flank, walked up to me and spoke. He was probably referring to yesterday’s battle with the wolf pack. I spoke to him, noting that he remained vigilant even as he talked.
“That battle was definitely the most dangerous. Encounters with such large packs aren’t rare, but they’re not common either. Anyway, once we finish this expedition and go back, let’s get you some gloves.”
“Gloves…? Ah. For defense? I’m wearing the basic armor I got from the User Academy…”
“That’s leather, so you can’t expect much protection from it. As a Lancer, you’d be better off with chain mail or scale mail, which are more flexible than plate mail.”
“Ah, I see. I know a little about weapons, but not much about armor. Thinking back to yesterday’s fight, it would have been nice to have. If I don’t have to defend as much, I can swing my spear more… But wouldn’t it cost a fortune to buy all that at once?”
I nodded at Hyeon’s words. The armor from reputable blacksmiths was mostly unaffordable for beginner users. They were too busy trying to survive day to day to even think about buying armor. The fact that we had bought new weapons for our first expedition would seem like an incredible luxury to other beginners.
“That’s true. Unless you hit the jackpot, there’s no guarantee of a high income even as a skilled user. Ultimately, we’ll have to save up diligently from now on and acquire things one by one.”
“Well, if it comes to it, I still have the GP I received from the Rite of Passage, so don’t worry too much.”
“Denied. I’ve told you before, that’s an absolute last resort. You must save your GP. You never know when you might need it later. For now, let’s make do with what we have.”
“Sigh. Money is a problem everywhere you go.”
I chuckled and nodded at Hyeon, who was already talking like a little old man. Among our group, Hyeon was undeniably the one who had adapted best to Hall Plain. The fact that he recognized his need for armor due to his weak defense in battle and was thinking about the distant future was highly commendable.
After a brief chat with Hyeon, I activated Mana Sense and The Third Eye. The tracks of the users who had entered before us were getting clearer. It looked like we could catch up to them by tomorrow at the earliest, or the day after at the latest.
Of course, I had no intention of teaming up with them. If we were lucky enough to discover the dungeon first, I would naturally claim the rights to it. Existing users should know about the rights of first discovery. But even if we didn’t find it first, I wasn’t particularly worried.
‘They stumbled upon it by chance, failed, and all seemed to have died. No, calling it death is a bit much. Hmm? Three people. Or should I say one person. What do I mean by that….’
Originally, the alchemist’s dungeon isn’t discovered at this time. I remember it being discovered a few months after I uncovered the Cave of Screams two years from now. But what if the caravan that went ahead of us discovers the alchemist’s dungeon now? If my predictions were correct, it meant they would all be annihilated soon. They likely failed to conquer the dungeon and were all wiped out inside.
If they found it first, we just had to take a step back. We could set up camp near the dungeon and wait a few days. When we entered, we would find their corpses. In fact, if they dealt with some of the traps and monsters at the entrance, it might even make our entry smoother. Plus, looting their equipment would bring in a tidy profit.
Having finished my calculations, I quickened my pace. I wanted to clear the dungeon quickly and move on to the Ruined Laboratory and the Cave of Screams, which I had marked as my next targets. The others, oblivious to my reasoning, simply followed behind me as I picked up speed.
============================ Author's Afterword ============================
Hello, this is Royujin.
Hyeon and Sol are gradually changing their way of thinking. Now only Yu-jeong is left….
What could be the hidden behind-the-scenes story for Sol?
Please look forward to what’s to come. :)
『 Rereplies 』
1. CrossDie: Congratulations on being first. As expected of a renowned first-comment-snatcher(?), you’ve claimed the top spot again. Hehehe.
2. Saram Insaeng: Yes! I will continue writing without forgetting my original intentions. Thank you, Saram Insaeng-nim, for always taking the time to leave comments. :)
3. Eintje: I hope you have an enjoyable time reading chapter 54 as well…. (__)
4. GradeRown: Ahaha. I can see why you might think that. There is a big difference in Su-hyeon’s attitude between his first life and now. It’s true that there’s a certain sense of disconnect, and that was intentional. You can consider the occasional glimpses of his true self as his original personality. And I hope your question about stamina has been resolved through this chapter.
5. 幻影: In terms of the future story progression. That’s correct. The reason for killing the vagrants is because they could become a nuisance if left alive. I reread the part, and it definitely felt like he killed them because their chatter was annoying. Ah… and about… extra chapters… hmm. (scurries away!)
6. kiacel: The sense of disconnect is intentional, so I would appreciate it if you could watch how things unfold a little longer. And I will definitely need to pay more attention to the presence of his companions. Thank you for the valuable advice. :)
7. Neisha: You could think of it that way. However, through the Rite of Passage and the User Academy, Su-hyeon has already proven his <specialness> to his companions. The kids are also in a state where they are wearing rose-tinted glasses, thinking of Su-hyeon as their mother. Even if they tilt their heads in confusion sometimes, they think, [If it’s Su-hyeon Hyeong (Oppa), it’s possible.] He has that much presence, which is why the kids follow him without complaint. The direction will probably be established naturally as the story progresses. Your high expectations are adding to my pressure. I will work that much harder. Thank you. :)</specialness>
8. Amhyangin: There was a mention in a previous chapter, not today’s. The kids talked to Su-hyeon about the GP, but he told them to save it for now. It was probably just a couple of paragraphs, so you might have missed it while reading. :)
9. 15420011: Yes. The kids are smart. They are perfectly capable of handling things themselves, but because they were just coasting along and not fulfilling their roles, Su-hyeon got angry. If they had said something like, [You killed someone.] or [Wasn’t that too harsh?], it would have literally proven they had learned nothing up to this point. Su-hyeon would have exploded as well.
10. Blami: Thank You. Your supportive comments are what keep my fingers typing. Hehehehe.
I always read all the comments repeatedly. I hope you won’t be too disappointed if you’re not in the rereplies. If you have any questions you’re really curious about, please send me a message and I’ll answer! (Please leave lots of comments! And recommendations too… ☞☜)
Well then, I will take my leave for today.
I hope you can always read the story with a comfortable heart.
Favorites, recommendations, comments, critiques, and questions are always welcome.